Animal Farm: “a ma fason”

The “Le Nouveau Seychelles Weekly” is waiting patiently for the next installment of the “Emperor’s New Clothes” by non-other than the best story-teller we have had since Gilbert Confait, our very own President James Alix Michel.  This will be in the “State of the Nation” address before the opening of the National Assembly next month.  What will be surprising is like the Emperor’s New Clothes is not what you see but what you are supposed to see!  He will tell you that everything is going according to plan.  What he does not tell you is what you really need to hear.  We will give examples of the things he will not speak about.

He will not tell you who is behind the company in Dubai through which SMB is having to buy things to supply local demand.  This of course is because that person “i ek SPPF”.  He will not tell you how much interest the government is paying on the tankers that have been built for use by SEYPEC.  Again that is because the people profiting from the tankers are “i ek SPPF”.  He will not tell you the amount of money the government is losing on hotels and concessions given for hotels for one rupee to people again “i ek SPPF”.  This is because these people have leased these concessions to international hotels for millions of dollars.  Seychelles does not see a cent in these huge forex amounts that all go to foreign bank accounts with none entering the local banking system.

President Michel will not tell you why Seychellois can buy forex on the black market to import new cars but, cannot buy forex on the black market to buy milk, onions, tomatoes and flour for brown bread.  Other things that the President will not tell you is why Ministers and all the top-part in the National Assembly get increases of over 50% in their monthly salaries and entitlements while the hard-working Seychellois gets an increase of only 19%!

To those of you who know the story “Animal Farm” you will already have an idea of this because of the recent “Sports Man/Lady of the Year”.  This is no longer a public event because it is the Seychellois public who support our sports men and women all year round.  However when it comes to celebrate their achievements ordinary Seychellois are not invited.  Why because when it is time to suffer all Seychellois are asked to suffer and when it is time to celebrate only those “i ek SPPF” are called to celebrate.  “Judge me by my actions” says James Michel and this is only during the first two month of the year!